My life began much like most children before my father left us. I grew up without knowing what a father was and no one was there to teach me how to behave and how to tell right from wrong. Because of this, I developed problems with alcohol and spent seven years as a boy in the street, before ending up in a rehab clinic(康复诊所) when I was 20.
Inside I met my counselor(辅导员), Bill, and he taught me a lot of things. The main thing was the gift of giving. It was the night before an important test and I was very nervous. Bill saw this and suggested that we should go out for a walk. As we walked and talked, Bill suggested we should go for a coffee. I told him I was broke, and when I got paid, I would pay him back. He stopped then and looked at me in a serious but loving way and said, "No, you won’t." He told me that I didn’t owe (欠) him anything and he was doing this because he wanted to. He then told me something that has followed me to this day, "One day you’ll be around someone and they’ll need a coffee, and you’ll be able to buy it for them. That’s how you can pay me back."
I’m a primary school teacher now; far away from the life I had ten years ago. My job is simple and I buy young people coffee now. Bill taught me how to do that.The author got into some bad habits because _______.
| A．he didn’t have a father to teach and love him |
| B．he couldn’t get good school education |
| C．his brothers or sisters didn’t teach him |
| D．he was living in the street |
One night, Bill invited the author to go out for a walk to _______.
| A．have a cup of coffee |
| B．teach the author a lesson |
| C．make the author less nervous |
| D．make friends with the author |
The underlined words "I was broke" in Paragraph 2 probably mean "_______".
| A．I was ill | B．I hurt my legs |
| C．I forgot to bring money | D．I had no money |
Japanese couples，too busy for a normal social life，are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．
Several agencies have sprung up (涌现) offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai —— which means “I want to cheer you up” —— charge around ￡100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制) a thing of the past，couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and stressed out，many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．
When they marry，however，they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．Office Agents，the largest provider of pretend friends，makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．
Hiroshi Mizutani，the company’s founder，said the fake friends he provides must look happy，be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
| A．Because of social and economic changes． |
| B．Because of lifetime employment． |
| C．Because of normal social life． |
| D．Because of work pressure．． |
Pretend friends will be present on the following occasions except __________ ．
| A．weddings | B．funerals |
| C．work | D．family gathering |
The agents make sure that fake friends __________ ．
| A．have done their housework |
| B．have good jobs |
| C．must look happy and be well dressed |
| D．feel uncomfortable |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married． |
| B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan started． |
| C．Japanese couples’ social life is boring． |
| D．Japanese couples rely on fake friends． |
Please excuse me if I’m a little sad today because Mark is leaving．You probably don’t know Mark，but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him．He’s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining professional skills with a sweet and gentle nature．He’s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does．He just wants to do his job，and to do it extremely well．
And now he’s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity．It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime，and we’re sincerely pleased for him．But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague．
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us．Just when we start to get comfortable with a person，a place or a situation，something comes along to change the recipe．A terrific neighbor moves away．Someone in the family graduates．A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage．The family’s bread-winner is laid off．Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines our peace，happiness and contentment in life．
But how do we do that? According to the author of Ecclesiaste，comfort can be found in remembering that “to everything there is a season，and a time to every purpose under heaven．Let today embrace the past with remembrance，and the future with longing．’’
“Change，indeed，is painful，yet ever needful，”said philosopher Thomas Carlyle．“And if memory has its force and worth，so also has hope．”
We’re going to miss Mark．But rather than lose ourselves in the sadness of our parting，we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future——for him，and for us．And then we’ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen．Until our plans change——again．What will happen to Mark soon?
| A．He will pass away． | B．He will leave for a new job． |
| C．He will get married． | D．He will stay with us forever． |
The underlined word “credit” in Para．1 probably means __________ ．
| A．praise | B．criticism |
| C．opportunity | D．job |
From the passage，we can learn that __________ ．
| A．any change will make us upset any time |
| B．it is easy to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague |
| C．our happiness depends on our ability to deal with change |
| D．comfort can be found in remembering the sadness |
The best title of the passage may be __________ ．
| A．My Friend Mark | B．Focusing on Future |
| C．Always Changing | D．A Sad Story |
Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have gone on sale, with fans able to apply on FIFA’s website. FIFA is expecting a similar demand to that in Germany 2006, when there were about seven applicants for every ticket of the 64 matches. And now around 3.3 million tickets will be available for the matches in 2014.
Tickets will range in price from ￡58 for first-round matches to ￡632 for the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian citizens over 60, local students and members of some social programs can purchase tickets for ￡15.
The Price of Football - World Cup 2014
| Items |
Prices |
Items |
Prices |
| Ticket |
￡58-￡112 |
Final ticket |
￡281-￡632 |
| Sun cream |
￡9.50 |
T-shirt |
￡13 |
| McDonald’s meal |
￡11 |
Water |
￡1.28 |
| Imported beer |
￡3.83 |
Domestic beer |
￡1.91 |
| Coffee |
￡2.55 |
Average dinner |
￡29 |
“It’s always difficult to predict,” said FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil. “But I truly believe that it will be more similar to what happened in Germany than in South Africa in 2010.”According to FIFA, the 2006 World Cup was attended by more than 3.3 million fans. Almost two million tickets were sold to the general public in South Africa, although the number of applications during the first ticketing phase was significantly lower.
All applications made before 10th October 2013 will enter a random selection draw if there are not enough tickets available to fulfill all requests. The sales of the leftover tickets will begin on 5th November on a first-come, first-served basis. Another phase will begin on 8th December after the draw is made. The tournament begins on 12th June, with Brazil playing the opener in Sao Paulo.
A study on the price of World Cup 2014 looked at the ticket prices and the cost of travelling to Brazil and found that our English fans face hotel costs of between ￡46 and ￡797 a night, while packages range from ￡2,999 to ￡14,999.How much should a Brazilian student pay for the opening match?
| A．￡15 | B．￡58 | C．￡112 | D．￡632 |
From the passage we know that Thierry Weil_______.
| A．feels proud of what they achieved in South Africa 2010 |
| B．feels worried about the sales of the tickets for Brazil 2014 |
| C．holds the belief that Brazil 2014 will be the greatest world cup |
| D．believes that more fans will attend Brazil 2014 than South Africa 2010 |
What will FIFA do if there are not enough tickets available for requests before Oct.10, 2013?
| A．They will sell the spare tickets to the applicants. |
| B．They will sell on a first-come, first-served basis. |
| C．They will choose the applicants based on a random selection draw. |
| D．They will sell them the tickets to be sold on Dec.8. |
Sex prejudices are based on and justified by the ideology(意识形态) that biology is destiny. According to this ideology, basic biological and psychological differences exist between the sexes. These differences require each sex to play a separate role in social life. Women are the weaker sex both physically and emotionally. Thus, they are naturally suited, much more so than men, to the performance of domestic(家庭的) duties. A woman’s place, under normal circumstances, is within the protective environment of the home. Nature has determined that women play caretaker roles, such as wife and mother and homemaker. On the other hand, men are best suited to go out into the competitive world of work and politics, where serious responsibilities must be taken on. Men are to be the providers; women and children are “dependents”.
The ideology also holds that women who wish to work outside the household should naturally fill these jobs that are in line with the special capabilities of their sex. It is appropriate for women, not men, to be employed as nurses, social workers, elementary school teachers, house-hold helpers, clerks and secretaries. These positions are simply an extension of women’s domestic role. Informal distinctions between “women’s work” and “men’s work” in the labor force, according to the ideology, are simply a functional reflection of the basic differences between the sexes.
Finally, the ideology suggests that nature has worked her will in another significant way. For the human species to survive over time, its members must regularly reproduce. Thus, women must, whether at home or in the labor force, make the most of their physical appearances.
So goes the ideology. It is, of course, not true that basic biological and psychological differences between the sexes require each to play sex-defined roles in social life. There is enough evidence that sex roles vary from society to society, and those role differences that do exist are largely learned.
But to the degree people actually believe that biology is destiny and that nature intended for men and women to make different contributions to society, sex-defined roles will be seen as totally acceptable.According to the biology-is-destiny ideology, women_______.
| A．cannot compete with men in any field |
| B．are suited more to domestic jobs than men |
| C．are sensitive enough to be a good caretaker |
| D．are too weak to do any agricultural work at all |
Those who have prejudices against women think that_______.
| A．women shouldn’t go out for work |
| B．women should earn money to add the family income |
| C．women going out for work should only do “women’s work” |
| D．women should take jobs to drill the special capabilities of the sex |
The author thinks that the positions women hold outside_______.
| A．are determined by what they are better suited to |
| B．grow out of their household responsibilities |
| C．represent their breakthrough of sex discrimination |
| D．are physically and emotionally suitable to them |
What does the underlined sentence imply?
| A．Sex roles are socially determined |
| B．Sex roles are emotionally and physically determined |
| C．Sex roles are biologically and psychologically determined |
| D．Sex roles are determined by education people take |
A dense wave of smog began in the Chinese city of Harbin and the surrounding Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning Provinces on 20 October 2013. Unseasonably warm temperatures with very little wind across northeastern China coincided with the smoke from local farmers’ burning straws and the start-up of Harbin’s coal-powered central heating system.
Record densities of fine particulates(微粒)were measured in the city. In Harbin, the levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter) rise to 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, worse than Beijing’s historic highs. Visibility was reduced to below 50m in parts of Harbin, and below 500m in most of the neighbouring Jilin Province. On Fa Yuen Street in Harbin, visibility of less than 5m was reported. The smog reduced after October 23, 2013 and completely broke up on October 28, 2013 by the first local snow and icy rain due to a cold front moving in from Russia.
Harbin lies in the north of China where winter temperatures can drop to -40℃, demanding a six-month heating season. Daily particulate levels of more than 40 times the World Health Organization recommended maximum level were reported in parts of Harbin. The smog remained till 23 October, when almost all monitoring stations in Heilongjiang, Jilin,and Liaoning Provincesreported readings above 200μg/m³forPM2.5. PM2.5 is the amount of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter in the air, with the WHO recommending a maximum 24-hour mean (平均值) of 25 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³). On the morning of 25 October, PM2.5 measurements in Harbin had fallen to an average of 123μg/m³.
All highways in the surrounding Heilongjiang Province were closed. In Harbin, all primary and middle schools were closed for three days and authorities stopped flights at the airports. Hospitals reported a 23 percent increase in admissions for breathing problems. However, this smog will have no influence on Harbin Ice Festival events later in December 2013.
Air pollution in Chinese cities is of increasing concern to China’s leadership. Particulates in the air can affect human health and also have influences on climate and rainfall. Pollution from the burning of coal has reduced life expectancy by 5.5 years in the north of China, as a result of heart and lung diseases.
One cause of the heavy smog in the northeastern Chinese cities may be _____.
| A．the lasting cold weather |
| B．farmers’ burning of forests |
| C．too much strong wind |
| D．the start-up of heating system |
One serious influence of the heavy smog was that_____.
| A．Harbin Ice Festival would be cancelled |
| B．highways in Heilongjiang were free of charge |
| C．all flights at the airport were cancelled |
| D．doctors in hospitals were kept from working |
The harmful smog was most serious on ______.
| A．October 20 | B．October 23 | C．October 25 | D．October 28 |
What measure might be practical to reduce the happening of heavy smog?
| A．Forbidding people to own their private cars. |
| B．Advocating people having one meal a day. |
| C．Using natural gas to cook instead of coal. |
| D．Encouraging family’s coal-fired heating. |
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